Obi
by A Lost Sheep
Summary: "Akito." She finally said. It all made her think of Akito. That was why she did it. She couldn't keep Akito out of her mind.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, everyone! Wow, it has been so long since I've wrote a fic but then this came into my mind and would not leave. It may not be any good but I tried. Anyway, hope you all like it.

Warnings: Some OOC ness

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Akito the Exiled

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Lt. Col. Leila Malcal sighed as she turned the key and opened the door to her room. There was a party tonight, another celebration. For what? No one really knew. It was just another way to get aristocrat's together to drink and flirt.

"All they know how to do is party." She said, talking to herself. She slowly walked into her bedroom, and noticed something lying on her bed. It was a dark blue kimono with orange hibiscus flowers speckled throughout it. Next to it was a blue, ornate hairpiece. It was the same shade of blue as the kimono and it had strings of silver beads falling from it. A letter was attached to it. She picked up the letter and read it aloud.

"Surprise. Your fiancé, Johann." She read to herself in disgust. "This must have been what he was talking about." She thought back to earlier that day.

_Leila stood outside of the headquarters and watched as people passed by. She was waiting for Lt. Akito Hyuga to come by and pick her up. He was on bodyguard patrol again, and he had promised to meet her at the headquarters at 12:00. Ever since their last trip to Paris, she couldn't stop thinking of him. There was something about him. "Akito." She whispered. _

"_Hello, Leila, dear." A man's voice spoke. "How is my bride to be?" _

_Leila knew that voice anywhere. She turned and saw her adoptive brother/fiancé Johann Malcal. He was carrying a drink in his hand. He put it up towards her face. It smelled like sake, Japanese rice wine. "Care for some?" He asked her smugly. _

"_No." Leila replied coldly as she knocked it away from her face. _

_He laughed. "I thought that you liked Eleven culture." He said as he bent down next to her ear. "Or maybe you just like Elevens." He whispered. "Elevens like that little lieutenant." Leila felt herself getting angry as he said those words and she roughly pushed him away from her face. _

"_They are Japanese, not Elevens." She stated firmly. "And you have no right to disrespect them." _

"_Well, when one of them is messing around with my fiancé, then I have to right to do as I please." He said as he grabbed her arm. "If you're going to be anyone's whore, it will be mine." He squeezed her arm harder. "Listen to me, you little whore, you will not ruin my reputation because you want to play around with the Elevens." _

_She grunted in pain as the grip got tighter. She tried to push him away, but he threw her to the ground. She gasped as she hit the concrete. _

"_Commander!" Another familiar voice shouted. Leila looked up and saw Lt. Hyuga coming towards them. At the sight of Akito, Johann became scared. _

"_Here." He said as he threw down a plastic card. "Take this to the hotel across the street from the palace. There is a party tonight and you better be there, but don't expect to come in those rags. I have a little surprise for you in your room." He then ran off in the other direction. _

"Typical." She stated, knowing that this was another attempt to mock her respect for the Japanese. A knock came on the door.

"Open the door!" A voice yelled. "Now, Leila."

Leila walked over to the door and threw it open. Standing in the doorway was Johann. He was dressed in a black tux with two women on his arms. Both were dressed in long blue dresses with the backs cut out of them and Leila could tell they were already intoxicated.

"What do you want?" She asked angrily.

"I want you to get ready for the party and meet me over there." He said. "And make sure to wear that surprise I got you. Oh and don't forget the hairpiece too." He stroked her hair and she cringed.

"Don't touch me." She said as she knocked his hand away.

"Now, now. Be a good little mistress and get ready." He said and he turned and walked away.

Leila stood there and watched as he left. She hated him. Hated him with all her heart.

"Shall I erase it for you?" A familiar voice said.

Leila jumped at the thought of it. Akito had said those words to her. He had a demonic smile on his face when he said it. It still gave her chills when she saw it. She shook it out of her head and walked back into the room.

She went back into her bedroom and examined the kimono. Even though she wanted to wear her uniform, it was a really pretty kimono and it was silk, pure silk. The sleeves were long and flowed down. She didn't want to give in to Johann's stupid requests, but then she didn't want to let such a beautiful kimono go to waste.

"What would it hurt to wear it for a night?" She said as she ran her hand over it. She undressed and slipped into the kimono. As she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but think how beautiful it looked. It fit her well. She noticed a sash. It was her obi, but it needed to be tied. Even though she hated to admit it, she didn't know how to tie it, but she was not going down there without it. But who would know how to do this?

"Akito." She said. Then she ran over to the phone and began dialing.

"Lt. Hyuga." Leila said as she greeted the man standing at the door. "Please come in."

Akito walked in to the room and looked around. "Thank you for coming." Leila said as she closed the door.

Akito turned around and noticed was her attire. She couldn't tell if it was a look of disgust or a look of interest. "You can skip the pleasantries. You commanded me to come so I came. Why do you need me, Commander?" He finally asked, his eyes still locked on her.

She felt his stare and blushed. "I need some help with this." She said as she grabbed the obi.

"The mighty commander can't tie a bow." He stated. "Europeans are so helpless."

Leila became flushed with embarrassment. She turned around in order to hide her red face from Akito.

It was then when she felt Akito grab ahold of the obi. She stood completely still as he worked on it. Silence fell over the room. Neither of them made a sound as Akito finished his work. Leila felt him let it go and then she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm done, Commander." Akito said. His face was right next to Leila's. She felt her blush come back so she ran over to the mirror. She turned and looked at it. The obi was tied into a giant orange bow. It was so perfect that it looked like it had come out of a painting.

"Wow, it looks so pretty." Leila said in awe. "Where did you learn how to do this, Lt. Hyuga?"

Akito didn't answer. He just stood in silence as he became lost in his own memories.

"Is everything alright, Lt. Hyuga?" She asked with concern. She walked over and grabbed his arm and asked him again.

"My mother." He finally replied. "I learnt this from my mother."

Leila was taken aback by this. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry that I brought it up."

She let him go and went to grab her hairpiece. She stuck it in the back of her hair and proceeded to the door. However, before she could leave a hand grabbed her elbow and spun her around. She came face to face with Akito. He stared into her eyes and his hand reached up and grabbed her hairpiece.

"You have it on wrong." He said as he adjusted it. He grabbed it and pinned it on the front of the left side of her hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She replied.

Akito finished fixing the hairpiece and then he put his hand in his pockets and stood there. Leila felt kind of disappointed. She was sure that it was going to play out like in the movies. He was going to run his hand through her hair and they would slowly move closer and their lips would touch and they would kiss.

"Stop it, Leila. Stop it." She whispered to herself.

"Well, I need to be going, Commander. I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he went to the door. He grabbed the handle and was about to walk out when Leila grabbed his hand.

"What is it, Commander?" He asked.

"Lt. Hyuga…I-" She began.

"Leila!" a voice shrieked. The door opened and Captain Anna Clement walked in. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved satin dress and her hair was flowing around her. "Le-" She stopped when she saw Akito.

"Oh, my. I am sorry." She said, flustered. She kept staring at Akito and Leila and their interlocked hand. Akito noticed, dropped Leila's hand and placed both of his back in his pockets. "Umm… Johann was demanding that you come over immediately. He sent me here to get you."

"I'll be over there in a bit." Leila replied.

"Well, he was very adamant about you coming now." Anna said. She looked at Akito. "However, if there are more pressing matters here, I will be going."

"Well, ye-" Leila began but she was interrupted by Akito.

"No, I was just leaving and the Commander must be going too." Akito replied. "She can't miss a party." He looked back at Leila and then to Anna and left.

Leila watched as he left and she felt a twinge of anger. She cared for Akito, possibly even had romantic feelings for him, yet he refused to acknowledge Leila as more than his European military commander. He never called her "Leila", never wanted to have a conversation with her, and thought that she was like all the other Europeans, even though she was not.

"Leila, is everything alright?" Anna asked. Leila broke her thoughts and came back to reality.

"Of course." She replied. "Let's go." Leila and Anna walked down the hall and to the elevator. As the door opened, a couple got off and headed in the direction of the rooms. Leila and Anna hopped on. As the door closed, silence fell over them.

"So, umm, Leila." Anna started.

"Yes, what is it Anna?" Leila replied. She knew that it was going to be something about Akito.

"Well, I was wondering why Lt. Hyuga was in your room. I mean I know it is none of my business, but you are my friend and we've told each other everything since we were kids and I don't want you to keep a secret from me and-"Anna stopped as she ran out of breath.

"Anna!" She yelled in shock. "I would never keep a secret from you. I promise that nothing is going on between me and Lt. Hyuga." She turn and let Anna see her obi. "He was helping me tie this."

Anna looked in awe at the work. "Wow, it is beautiful. I can't believe that Lt. Hyuga did that."

The elevator chimed and the door swung open. They made their way through the lobby and across the street over to the palace.

People were everywhere, most of them aristocrats. They were dressed in their finest clothes with the finest alcohol, and the finest music. And Leila watched as they all turned and looked at her when she walked in. There were a mixture of looks, some good and then some bad. She felt very nervous, but she held her head high and proudly walked into the party.

"Leila!" screamed a cheery voice. "Leila! Over here!" Leila looked and saw her other adoptive brothers, Daniel and Stephan. She walked over towards them with many pairs of eyes following. They gave her a hug.

"Leila, you look incredible." said Daniel. "But, uh, what is this?" He asked examining the kimono.

"Well, it's a Jap-" She began.

"It's an Eleven's dress." said Johann as he walked up to them. "I thought that Leila might like it considering her interest in Elevens." He laughed.

"They are Japanese! Not Elevens!" She yelled as she glared at him. Johann's face grew dark.

"That is the second time you disrespected me today." He said as he grabbed her and pulled her in front of him. "It will not happen a third time."

"Let me go!" She yelled as she fought to get away from him.

"Johann, please let her go." Stephan chimed in. "Please, brother."

"No, she is my property and I'll do as I please." He said. He pulled her closer and spun her around. He grabbed her hairpiece and threw it on the ground and stomped on it. "You want to be an Eleven then maybe should look like one." He said as he grabbed one of her sleeves and ripped it. Then he saw her obi. "My, my. Look at this pretty piece." He said.

"No, stop it." She cried out, trying to fight against him. "Stop it!" She then heard it rip and Johann threw her towards Anna.

"Where's your boyfriend at now?" He taunted. "Where is that Eleven now?"

Leila felt weak as Anna caught her. She could hear the roaring laughter and the piercing stares of the other party guests. She felt the anger and the embarrassment come over her. She clenched her fist and was ready to fight Johann when Anna grabbed her.

"Leila, let's just go." Anna pleaded. "Let's just go back."

Leila looked at the fear in her best friends eyes and knew it was a bad idea to stay. Anna interlocked their arms and they walked back over to the hotel together. As Leila walked into her room, she felt so stupid. Why hadn't she just worn her military uniform like last time? Why didn't she just leave the kimono here? Why didn't she just realize that it was all a big joke?

"Akito." She finally said. It all made her think of Akito. That was why she did it. She couldn't keep Akito out of her mind. The dark blue kimono reminded her of his hair, the orange flowers and obi reminded her of the drink he gave her last time they were in Paris, and the hairpiece reminded her of the sky that was speckled with stars when they were on the balcony.

She walked into the bedroom and threw off the tattered clothes. She rummaged through her suitcase and found her favorite nightgown. It was a long, sheer pink nightgown. She slipped it on and grabbed a copy of Guibert's Essays of Tactics. She lay down on the bed and began reading. A few minutes later a knock came on the door. Leila just kept on reading. The knock came again. Again Leila ignored it.

"Commander." The voice on the other side of the door spoke.

Leila recognized Akito's voice and got up and answered the door.

"Sorry to interrupt you." He said, looking at her dress. She realized that Akito could see through her nightgown. She became flustered as she grabbed a blanket to cover herself.

"Umm, no, you're not interrupting." She said. "I was just reading." She held up her book.

"Well, Captain Clement said to come and see you." He replied. "She said you were not o.k."

Thanks, Anna. Leila thought. "Well, I am doing alright." She stated. "There is nothing to worry about here. I was just going to bed."

"Well, I guess I should go then." He said as he got up and headed for the door. He stopped and turned around. "My offer still stands you know."

Leila became confused. "What offer?" She asked.

"If you don't like it, I will erase it for you."

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Well, thanks for reading! Hope you liked it and please review. Also, I am considering writing another chapter from Akito's pov. Any thoughts?


	2. Chapter 2

Here is Akito's POV. Hope you all like it!

Warnings: OOC ness

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Akito the Exiled

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Lt. Akito Hyuga walked up the stairs heading to his hotel room. He knew better than to take the elevator. The Japanese always got strange looks when they did. Even though he was a member of the military, the Europeans still looked at him as if he was a grimy, lowly Eleven. It was a look that was full of judgment and fear. He hated that look! His speed increased as he grew angry and he ran into a girl that was walking down the stairs. Her bag flew to the ground and items rolled out of it. Akito helped her pick them up.

"I'm so sorry." She said as she gathered the items back into her bag. "So sorry."

She was Japanese. Her hair had been dyed red and she was dressed in a miniskirt, boots, black leggings, and a sequenced button-up. She picked up a giant clip of cash and headed up the stairs. She must be a prostitute. That was one of the main occupations for the Japanese women now. It was factory work or prostitution. For the men it was factory work or the army. Anything to satisfy the needs of the Europeans.

"Wars and women." He said aloud. "It's just about all these people think about."

"I'm not like that!" A voice shouted.

It was Lt. Col. Leila Malcal's voice. She had said that to him the last time they were in Paris. It had happened when they were sitting on the balcony. Akito had to admit, Leila was different from most Europeans. She showed the Japanese a level of respect that few other people did. He thought back to earlier that morning.

"_Lt. Hyuga, you will be in charge of guarding Lt. Col. Malcal today as she travels through town." General Smilas ordered him. "I have already sent word that you will meet her at the headquarters at 12:00." _

"_Yes, General." Akito replied. "Will there be anything else?"_

"_No." He said. "Just make sure she is safe." He got up and walked over to the window. He looked down at all the people walking on the sidewalk. "She is a precious jewel, you know. Something unlike anything I have ever seen."_

_Akito remained silent. _

"_Anyway, you may go." He said as turned around and went back to his chair. _

_Akito bowed and then walked out. He checked the clock and saw that it was only 11:30. Leila would not be at headquarters for another hour. He decided to go walk around. As he rounded the corner of the sidewalk, he saw a group of Europeans men harassing a young Japanese girl. _

"_Help!" She cried out. One of the men slapped her. _

"_Quiet, you little Eleven." He said as he grabbed her._

"_Help!" She yelled again trying to squirm away. _

"_Is there a problem here?" Akito asked as he walked up to them. _

_The Europeans looked at him with anger. "Get out of here, Eleven. This is none of your business." _

_Akito just kept walking up towards them. The largest one ran towards him. "Die you little piece of shit!" _

_Akito felt a shock as Geass activated and his demonic smile appeared. He went into a full monster mode and came up behind the largest one. He hit him in the back of the neck and the man fell over. The smallest one ran after him and Akito grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the concrete. _

"_Hey, you Eleven punk!" The leader of the group yelled. He threw the girl down and pulled out a gun. He started shooting at Akito. Akito dodged and kicked the gun out of his hand. _

"_Woah, man. Calm down." The leader said as he heard the gun hit the sidewalk. Akito just smiled at him and he took off. _

_The Japanese girl stared at him in awe. He walked over to her and extended his hand to help her up. She took it and he helped her to her feet. _

"_Thank you for saving me." She said nervously. She was scared of him after what she just saw. _

"_You're welcome." He replied. "You better get out of here before any more show up." He said as walked off. He checked his watch and saw that it was 11:50. He needed to head back and wait for Leila._

_As he approached headquarters, he noticed a man grabbing ahold of Leila. He recognized the man to be her fiancé Johann Malcal. Akito's pace quickened and then he saw Johann throw Leila down. He broke out into a run then. "Commander!" He yelled. He hated these Europeans. He watched as Johann ran off. _

"_Commander, are you alright?" He asked as he helped her up. _

_She dusted the dirt off her uniform and replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Just a scratch." _

_He watched as she fixed herself back into her perfect persona. She stood tall and proud as she turned to him and said, "Let's go." _

_They began to walk away from the headquarters building when a voice shouted at them. _

"_Excuse me, sir!" The weak voice shouted. Akito turned and saw the Japanese girl he had helped earlier. She held something in her hand. Akito walked over towards her. _

"_You dropped this back there." She said as she handed him the item in her hands. It was his dog tags. He took them from her hands and put them back on. _

"_Thank you." He replied. _

"_Who is this, Akito?" Leila asked as she walked up to them. The girl looked at Leila and backed away. _

"_I'm sorry, ma'am. Very sorry." She turned to walk away but Leila touched her shoulder._

"_Sorry for what? You've done nothing wrong." Leila replied. Akito watched as Leila talked to the girl, so calmly and so kindly. He watched as they laughed and smiled and he knew that this must have been the first time that poor girl had ever been treated this way by a European. _

Akito opened the door to his room and walked over to the sink. He turned it on and splashed his face with water. Lately, he had been thinking a lot about Leila. She was strong, smart, strategic, and above all, she was caring. Like Smilas said, she was special.

The phone rang and his thoughts broke. He walked over and picked it up. "Hello." He said. It was Leila.

"Lt. Hyuga." Leila said as she greeted the man standing at the door. "Please come in."

Akito walked in to the room and looked around. "Thank you for coming." Leila said as she closed the door.

Akito turned around and noticed was her attire. It was a dark blue kimono with orange hibiscus flowers on it. An orange obi was around her. He felt that strange feeling when he saw her. It was something he wasn't used to. He tried to push that feeling away.

"You can skip the pleasantries. You commanded me to come so I came. Why do you need me, Commander?" He finally asked, his eyes still locked on her. He thought he saw her blush.

"I need some help with this." She said as she grabbed the obi.

He looked at the bow and then back at Leila. It was sort of odd to see Leila not be able to do something. "The mighty commander can't tie a bow." He stated. "Europeans are so helpless."

She quickly turned around and Akito grabbed a hold of the obi. It felt so normal to hold in his hands. It had been years since he had tied one of these, but as he held it now, it was like a part of him came back. He worked on it. He wanted it to be perfect. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that his mother was watching to make sure he remembered what he had learned. Silence fell over the room. Akito finished his work and then leaned over beside Leila's face.

"I'm done, Commander." Akito said. He watched as she ran over to the mirror to examine it

"Wow, it looks so pretty." Leila said in awe. "Where did you learn how to do this, Lt. Hyuga?"

Akito didn't answer. He just stood in silence as he became lost in his own memories. He thought back to his time in Japan. He was sitting in his mother's room and watching as she tied the obi on his cousin's kimono. Her hands moved fast, but the bow was always so perfect. She told him that he should learn how to tie them, that even if he never had to, it was a part of their culture that he should know. He spent many hours with her learning how to tie an obi. It took quite some time, but he finally could tie them like his mother.

"Is everything alright, Lt. Hyuga?" Leila asked him. At first he could hardly her, but then she asked again. She sounded very concerned.

"My mother." He finally replied. "I learnt this from my mother."

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry that I brought it up."

She let him go. He saw her walk out of her bedroom and noticed her hairpiece. Before she could leave he grabbed her elbow and spun her around. He came face to face with her and that feeling came back. He stared into her eyes and his hand reached up and grabbed her hairpiece.

"You have it on wrong." He said as he adjusted it. He grabbed it and pinned it on the front of the left side of her hair. This was always how his mother put on these hairpieces. She said they should always go on the side so the strings of beads can hang down for everyone to see.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She replied.

Akito finished fixing the hairpiece and then he put his hand in his pockets and stood there. He felt weird being there.

"Well, I need to be going, Commander. I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he went to the door. He grabbed the handle and was about to walk out when Leila grabbed his hand.

"What is it, Commander?" He asked. He just wanted to get out of there.

"Lt. Hyuga…I-" She began.

"Leila!" a voice shrieked. The door opened and Captain Anna Clement walked in. She was dressed in a black long-sleeved satin dress and her hair was flowing around her. "Le-" She stopped when she saw Akito.

"Oh, my. I am sorry." She said, flustered. She kept staring at Akito and Leila and their interlocked hand. Akito noticed, dropped Leila's hand and placed both of his back in his pockets. He didn't want Anna to think something was going on between them. "Umm… Johann was demanding that you come over immediately. He sent me here to get you."

Akito felt his fist clench at the mention of Johann's name. Leila's fiancé. He was a typical European. He was rude, arrogant, and idiotic.

"I'll be over there in a bit." Leila replied.

"Well, he was very adamant about you coming now." Anna said. She looked at Akito. "However, if there are more pressing matters here, I will be going."

"Well, ye-" Leila began but she was interrupted by Akito.

"No, I was just leaving and the Commander must be going too." Akito replied. "She can't miss a party." He looked back at Leila and then to Anna and left.

What was wrong with him? He had been such a jerk to Leila, but that was the normal reaction for making that weird feeling he got go away. It only came whenever he was with Leila. He didn't like the feeling because it wasn't normal for him. He was used to negative feelings such as rage and vengeance. This feeling was the total opposite and he always had to counter it by being a jerk.

He made his way back to his room and headed for his room. Maybe some rest would clear his mind. He changed into his grey tank top and his shorts and lay down. He drifted into sleep and he dreamed. He dreamed of Japan, of his mother, of the massacre, of all the hell that he had been through. However, the final thing he dreamed of was Leila and the talk they had on the balcony during the celebration of the Narva mission.

A knock came on the door and Akito burst up. He walked over and opened it. Captain Anna Clement was standing there. She looked upset. He could sense it was something about Leila.

"I'm so sorry to wake you, Lt. Hyuga." She began. "I really need to talk to you, though. May I come in?"

"Sure." He replied as he motioned her in. She sat down on the couch and he took the chair across from her.

Anna then went on to tell of all that had happened at the party. Akito could feel himself getting angrier with every word. He wanted to go slice Johann in half for what he did. Anna could tell that he was getting angry and it frightened her.

"Please, don't do anything rash, Lt. Hyuga." She replied. "I don't know what Leila would do without you."

At this, Akito froze. "What?" He asked.

"Ummm… I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Lt Hyuga, I think that Leila may feel something for you." Anna said. "Something special. I don't know for sure but I can see it when she is with you. She's different."

Akito didn't know how to respond to this. Leila liked him? Well, maybe he had seen the signs of it, but it was hard to believe. And what about how he felt? Did he like Leila too? Was that what that weird feeling was? Attraction?

"Leila is upset right now and I think that it would do her some good to see you." Anna said and she left.

Akito sighed as he tried to process it all. His feelings were still so complicated and he didn't want to think about them. However one thing was simple and that was the fact that Leila was upset. He got up and walked to her room. He knocked on the door and no answer. He knocked again and still no answer.

"Commander." He said hoping to get her attention.

A few seconds later, Leila appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt you." He said, looking at her dress. Akito saw Leila turn red and she grabbed a blanket to cover her.

"Umm, no, you're not interrupting." She said. "I was just reading." She held up her book.

"Well, Captain Clement said to come and see you." He replied. "She said you were not o.k." He looked at her face but it didn't look like she had been crying. No, she was far too tough for that.

"Well, I am doing alright." She stated. "There is nothing to worry about here. I was just going to bed."

Akito could tell she was lying but he didn't want to pester her.

"Well, I guess I should go then." He said as he got up and headed for the door. He thought back to the dream he had and what Anna had said as she left. He stopped and turned around. "My offer still stands you know."

"What offer?" She asked.

"If you don't like it, I will erase it for you."

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Thanks for reading! Also, I apologize that Akito is way too OOC! I'm not good at writing for characters that show so little emotion! So please forgive me!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, everyone! I present you with the final chapter of Obi! Hope you like it!

Warnings: OOC ness

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass: Akito the Exiled

* * *

"If you don't like it, I will erase it for you."

Leila felt a chill run down her spine, her usual reaction when she heard those words. She watched as Akito proceed to leave and she jumped up at the closing of the door. She ran over, threw it open, and grabbed Akito's arm.

He turned around and asked her, "What's wrong, Commander?"

"Lt, Hyuga," She began. "I-I-"

"What is it, Commander?" He replied. He grabbed a hold of her and felt her forehead to see if she was feverish. She was acting strange.

Leila knocked his hand away and said, "I'm fine. I'm fine." She looked up at him and smiled. The feeling flooded over him, but this time he didn't push it away.

"Lt. Hyuga, I wanted to say thank you…for everything." Leila replied. "I don't know what I would do without you."

He saw tears fall from her eyes and she wanted to run back into her room, but she just stood there and cried. Akito had never thought that he would see her like this and he definitely never thought that he would do what he did next. He put his arm around her and embraced her in a hug.

He held her tightly but didn't say a word. Leila was shocked by this but she just grabbed him and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Akito." She managed to speak. "Please, just erase it. All of it." Thoughts of everything that caused her pain flooded her mind and she gripped Akito tighter. Thoughts of that night, of Johann, of everything that she hated.

Akito froze when Leila said his name. It was almost like something possessed him when she did for he must have been possessed when he grabbed Leila's face and pulled her into a kiss.

It was not a passionate kiss nor was it a loving kiss. He was still too unsure of his feeling for it to be that personal. However, to Leila, it was exactly what she needed. She melted into his arms and kissed him back. Everything flooded away as her thoughts became thoughts of Akito and what was happening now. He really had erased it all.

Leila wiped her eyes and smiled. She didn't say anything as she turned to head back to her room.

"I hope you feel better, Commander." He said as he watched her go.

"I do." She said as she opened her door and stepped in the doorway. "Goodnight, Lt. Hyuga."

"Goodnight, Commander." Akito said as he walked away.

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The End. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


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